Method for detecting offset for a pedestrian protection device

Abstract

A method for detecting offset for a pedestrian protection device, in which sensor data are ascertained and evaluated for determining an impact point of an object. In the event of a collision with an object, characteristics are extracted for determining the offset of the impact point using the sensor data from at least two sensors, absolute values and/or differential values and/or composite values and/or maximum values and/or minimum values of the sensor data from the at least two sensors being determined in the characteristics extraction.

What is claimed is: 
     
       1. A method for detecting an offset for a pedestrian protection arrangement, the method comprising:
 determining sensor data; 
 evaluating the sensor data to determine an impact point of an object, wherein for a collision with an object, characteristics are extracted for determining the offset of the impact point using the sensor data from at least two sensors; and 
 determining, in a characteristics extraction, at least one of absolute values, differential values representing a difference between respective sensor data of the at least two sensors, and composite values representing a sum of the respective sensor data of the at least two sensors; 
 wherein the pedestrian protection arrangement is:
 triggerable on both sides of the vehicle; and 
 is triggered on only a left or right side of the vehicle or with different strengths on both sides of the vehicle as a function of a determined offset value. 
 
 
     
     
       2. The method of  claim 1 , wherein vehicle data are used for the characteristics extraction, the vehicle data including at least one of a speed, a yaw rate, and a relative speed. 
     
     
       3. The method of  claim 1 , wherein further characteristics for determining the offset are formed from at least one of vehicle data, a time interval, a sign of maximum values of the sensor data of the at least two sensors, and a sign of minimum values of the sensor data of the at least two sensors. 
     
     
       4. A method for detecting an offset for a pedestrian protection arrangement, the method comprising:
 determining sensor data; 
 evaluating the sensor data to determine an impact point of an object; and 
 for a collision with an object, extracting characteristics for determining an offset of the impact point using the sensor data from at least two sensors; 
 wherein:
 the characteristics extraction includes:
 obtaining a differential signal and a composite signal based on the sensor data from the at least two sensors, the differential signal representing a difference between respective sensor data of the at least two sensors, and the composite signal representing a sum of the respective sensor data of the at least two sensors; and 
 comparing the differential signal and the composite signal; 
 
 the characteristics includes a first characteristic that is extracted from the comparison of the differential signal and the composite signal; and 
 the pedestrian protection arrangement is:
 triggerable on both sides of the vehicle; and 
 triggered on only a left or right side of the vehicle or with different strengths on both sides of the vehicle as a function of a determined offset value. 
 
 
 
     
     
       5. The method of  claim 4 , wherein prior to the signal comparison, absolute values of the differential signal and of the composite signal, respectively, are formed and summed up over time, a ratio of the absolute value of the differential signal and the absolute value of the composite signal being formed for the signal comparison. 
     
     
       6. The method of  claim 4 , wherein to determine the offset, the first characteristic is evaluated at at least one predefined instant. 
     
     
       7. The method of  claim 6 , wherein the evaluation instant is established as a function of vehicle data. 
     
     
       8. The method of  claim 4 , wherein to determine the offset, an average value of the first characteristic is evaluated within at least one predefined time interval. 
     
     
       9. The method of  claim 8 , wherein the evaluation time interval is established as a function of vehicle data. 
     
     
       10. A method for detecting an offset for a pedestrian protection arrangement, the method comprising:
 determining sensor data; 
 evaluating the sensor data to determine an impact point of an object; and 
 for a collision with an object, extracting a characteristic for determining an offset of the impact point using the sensor data from at least two sensors; 
 wherein the characteristics extraction includes:
 summing absolute values of the sensor data of each of the at least two sensors; 
 determining a maximum value and a minimum value of the summed absolute values; and 
 comparing the maximum and minimum values to produce a first characteristic; obtaining a differential signal and a composite signal based on the sensor data from the at least two sensors; and comparing the differential signal and the composite signal to produce a second characteristic; the differential signal is a difference between respective sensor data of the at least two sensors; the composite signal is a sum of the respective sensor data of the at least two sensors; and for determining the offset, a characteristics space formed by the first and second characteristics is partitioned by various thresholds into a plurality of regions, and it is determined whether the first characteristic and the second characteristic are located in one of the plurality of regions. 
 
 
     
     
       11. The method of  claim 10 , wherein for a signal comparison, the ratio of the determined maximum value and the determined minimum value is formed, from which the value 1 is subtracted to form the first characteristic. 
     
     
       12. The method of  claim 10 , wherein to determine the offset, the first characteristic produced by the comparison of the maximum and minimum values is evaluated at at least one predefined instant. 
     
     
       13. The method of  claim 12 , wherein the evaluation instant is established as a function of vehicle data. 
     
     
       14. The method of  claim 10 , wherein to determine the offset, an average value of the first characteristic produced by the comparison of the maximum and minimum values is evaluated within at least one predefined time interval. 
     
     
       15. The method of  claim 14 , wherein the evaluation time interval is established as a function of vehicle data. 
     
     
       16. The method of  claim 10 , wherein a default value is used for determining the offset when the first characteristic and the second characteristic are not located in any of the plurality of regions. 
     
     
       17. The method of  claim 10 , wherein the plurality of regions includes three regions. 
     
     
       18. The method of  claim 10 , wherein the plurality of regions includes five regions. 
     
     
       19. A method for detecting an offset for a pedestrian protection arrangement, the method comprising:
 determining sensor data; 
 evaluating the sensor data to determine an impact point of an object, wherein for a collision with an object, characteristics are extracted for determining the offset of the impact point using the sensor data from at least two sensors; 
 determining, in a characteristics extraction, at least one of absolute values, differential values representing a difference between respective sensor data of the at least two sensors, and composite values representing a sum of the respective sensor data of the at least two sensors; and 
 modifying the sensor data to compensate for at least one of an unsymmetrical front structure of the vehicle and an unsymmetrical arrangement of the at least two sensors relative to the longitudinal vehicle access. 
 
     
     
       20. The method of  claim 19 , wherein, when there is an impact without offset, the modifying makes magnitudes of the sensor data of the at least two sensors equal. 
     
     
       21. The method of  claim 19 , wherein the sensor data of a first one of the at least two sensors are multiplied by a first value and the sensor data of a second one of the at least two sensors are multiplied by a second value that is different than the first value, such that, where there is an impact without an offset, the multiplied values of the first and second sensors are equal. 
     
     
       22. A method for a protection arrangement of a vehicle, the method comprising:
 obtaining, by a computer processor, sensor data from a first sensor positioned to a right of a center of the vehicle; 
 obtaining, by the processor, sensor data from a second sensor positioned to a left of the center of the vehicle; 
 calculating, by the processor, a difference between the sensor data of the first sensor and the sensor data of the second sensor; 
 calculating, by the processor, a sum of the sensor data of the first sensor and the sensor data of the second sensor; and 
 based on the calculated difference and calculated sum, triggering, by the processor, a protection arrangement; 
 wherein the sensor data characterizes a collision of the vehicle. 
 
     
     
       23. The method of  claim 22 , further comprising:
 calculating a ratio of an absolute value of the calculated difference to an absolute value of the calculated sum, wherein the triggering is based on the calculated ratio. 
 
     
     
       24. The method of  claim 23 , further comprising:
 categorizing an offset of an object, with which the vehicle collided during the collision, from the center of the vehicle based on the calculated ration, wherein the triggering is based on the categorization. 
 
     
     
       25. A method for a protection arrangement of a vehicle, the method comprising:
 obtaining, by a computer processor, sensor data from a first sensor positioned to a right of a center of the vehicle; 
 obtaining, by the processor, sensor data from a second sensor positioned to a left of the center of the vehicle; 
 calculating, by the processor, a sum of the sensor data from the first sensor; 
 calculating, by the processor, a sum of the sensor data from the second sensor; 
 comparing the sum of the sensor data from the first sensor and the sum of the sensor data of the second sensor; and 
 based on the comparison, triggering, by the processor, a protection arrangement; 
 wherein the sensor data characterizes a collision of the vehicle. 
 
     
     
       26. The method of  claim 25 , wherein the comparison includes:
 calculating an absolute value of the sum of the sensor data from the first sensor; 
 calculating an absolute value of the sum of the sensor data from the second sensor; 
 determining which of the absolute values is greater; 
 calculating a quotient of the determined greater one of the absolute values divided by the other of the absolute values; and 
 subtracting 1 from the quotient.